Observing a Child and Relating to Developmental Theories While sitting on a bench at the park, I observed a female child on the playground. She was about 5 years old. Her energy was very evident, as she was running around, playing on the playground toys such as the slides, and also playing with other children. I found out that the child’s mother and her older sister, who looked about 10 years old, was also there because the child kept running back to a woman and child who were sitting on another bench nearby.
Most of the other children that she was playing with looked as if they were the same age as the little girl. There are several theories in development that I have learned about that relate to this child and her playing on the playground. The child was full of massive amounts of energy. When playing with the other children, she took the upper hand. She was always the first to climb the steps up to the top of the slide, or to climb to the top of the jungle gym. She was planning most of the silly playground games and directing other children.
This example can be related to Erik Erikson and his psychoanalytic theory of his psychosocial stages. The stage that describes this perfectly is the initiative versus guilt stage. This occurs between 3-6 years old. The girl was organizing activities and would devise ways to accomplish the goals she had set up with the other children. She was fairly assertive and confident for such a young age. Every now and then the little girl’s older sister would come over and play. With an older child, the little girl would follow her sister around and copy what she was doing. Repetition and observing can help a child learn.
The Term Paper on Children Learn Best by Observing the Behavior of Adults and Copying It. Do You Agree or Disagree?
Children learn best by observing the behavior of adults and copying it. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. There is no doubt to the perception of how children learn what is needed in life is by observing the behavior of adults and copying it. This process of copying the behavior of adults is known as modeling. However both positive and negative ...
The little girl was proud when she accomplished a task that her older sister had showed her. This act can be related to Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Vygotsky used the term scaffolding to describe this. Her older sibling was guiding the child on the playground. At one point the girl was trying to climb on this odd-shaped object. She could not get on top of it. She would get discouraged, but then her older sister would come over and help her climb up. She finally got the hang of it all on her own. At this age it is important for the child to be attempting new tasks.
This guiding of an older person helps structure the child’s learning experience. The little girl was trying to impress her mother most of the time. This is where reinforcement and punishment come into play. B. F. Skinner and his learning theory of operant conditioning, learning to repeat or stop behaviors because of the consequences they bring about, was apparent. The mother’s appraisal when the child would successfully go down the slide was positive reinforcement. That appraisal caused the child to be willing to try out new things on the playground which is positive reinforcement.
Towards the end of the child’s time at the playground, she and another little girl were arguing about something I could not hear. I think the other little girl had taken her swing. There was obviously no reason for the child to be arguing with the other girl because the mother was getting disappointed with her. I heard the mother saying how she wasn’t going to buy her daughter candy and she was going to have a time out when they got home. This is an example of punishment because saying that the mother was going to take away this certain privileges automatically stopped her from arguing with the other little girl.
At about 5 years old, the child was aware of her environment and seemed to interact with it moderately well. She was aware of people around her and responded to them appropriately. She was confident on her own, but was happy as her mother watched from afar and her sister was there to help and play with her. Positive social encounters are important aspects of developing present and future friendships and relationships. All of these theories have important aspects that help and assist the child with her development.
The Essay on Childern Child Thier Mother
In this poem Plath is addressing her childern. she refers to the cry of her childern with a bold cry taking its place among the elements. This is a reference to her experience with her husband that she wants to establish a separate personality from her husband. In general these lines reveal many of thr mothers feelings for her child using symbolisms and comparisons. Childern symbolize purity and ...
